Real Housewives of New Jersey

Merry New Jersmas! In today’s Real Housewives of New Jersey news, Joe Giudice has been indicted! Despite the rumors that Juicy was able to get off the hook for using a fraudulently obtained driver’s license by ratting out a DMV employee, Joe was indicted by a Passaic Country Grand jury this Tuesday!

Earlier this week the Giudices had some good news when they were able to withdraw their bankruptcy petition and avoid bankruptcy fraud charges, but alas with the good often comes the bad.

According to the NorthJersey.com, Joe was charged with one count wrongfully using identifying information of another and one count impersonation when in 2010 he used his brother Pietro (Pete) Giudice‘s information — including his marriage and birth certificates to fraudulently get a license at the Patterson DMV. If you recall, Juicy, the stellar citizen that he is, initially had his license suspended after he was arrested for a DUI in January 2010. That arrest was included in Season 2 of RHONJ.

Juicy was caught after his brother Pete was pulled over in a routine traffic stop last March and according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes, when authorities ran Pete’s license the search returned Pete’s information with Joe’s photo! This caused a red flag for officers, as Joe’s license was and still is suspended, and the Financial Crimes Unit opened an investigation. Joe has a long history of driving related issues — his license has been suspended NINE times over the years.

During their investigation the Motor Vehicle Commission, along with the police, discovered that Juicy had gotten the license fraudulently using his brother’s identification documents. Joe was arrested in March, 2011. A copy of his mugshot is below.

As a result of Joe’s actions he faces up to 10 years in prison for wrongfully using identifying information and a maximum of another 18-months for the impersonation charge. Joe has not been sentenced for his crimes yet, and interestingly it does not appear that his brother faces charges related to Joe’s impersonation. Reality Tea will keep you posted on the updates related to this matter.

As for Teresa Giudice, she has yet to comment on her husband’s indictment, and all of her cast mates seem to be keeping quiet as well. Teresa did what she does best — distracted herself from the bad news by putting on a happy face and releasing her family Christmas Cards. The cards feature her four daughters, Gia, Gabriella, Milania, and Audriana dressed as very cute, yet mischievous elves. You can view the cards below.

In other RHONJ husbands who do wrong news, Jacqueline Laurita is defending her husband Chris Laurita to fans after he was slapped with a lawsuit for stealing the blk. water concept, in addition to misappropriation of the trademark and breach of contract.

It all started with Twitter — which seems to be where most of Jac’s problems begin — when she tweeted: “This months “Hit List” in Beverage World magazine. One of the most innovative products! BLK! …..”

Sadly, Jacqueline made this tweet after it was reported that her husband, along with Albie and Chrsitopher Manzo, were served with the suit. A follower called Jacqueline out, tweeting: “I don’t think I would be bragging about something my husband stole.” Burn! And Jacqueline immediately DM (Direct Messaged) the Tweeter with the following information: “He didn’t steal anything. I guess you’ll soon find that out. Don’t be so ignorant.”

The Twitter user in question, Jeanne Dorsey, turned this information over to AllAboutTRH, who immediately gave readers the scoop. Dang, someone needs to deactivate Jackie’s Twitter account. Chris? Andy Cohen? Caroline? Are you listening out there? Get this woman off Twitter!!

THOUGHTS ON JOE’S INDICTMENT? DO YOU BELIEVE HE WILL SERVE TIME? SHOULD HE? THOUGHTS ON THE CHRISTMAS CARDS: RIDICULOUS, TACKY, OR CUTE? WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE HAPPENED WITH BLK. WATER – STOLEN OR A FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT?

If you recall, Teresa and husband Joe Giudice shocked viewers back in 2010 when it was revealed that they filed bankruptcy to the tune of $11 million in debt. Shortly afterwards, the two were accused of bankruptcy fraud by their trustee John Sywilok, who accused them of concealing assets and hiding income. By the way, concealing assets just happens to be a federal crime.

In a move to likely avoid persecution, Joe first withdrew his bankruptcy bid back in September, after pleading the fifth amendment during questioning by the trustee.

Following Joe’s move the Giudices’ lawyer told PEOPLE magazine that Teresa would soon follow, stating she felt “vindicated” to be voluntarily paying her remaining debts rather than go to jail have them discharged in bankruptcy court.

The NJ Star-Ledger is reporting that in addition to withdrawing her bankruptcy, Teresa has also settled the lawsuit by the trustee by acknowledging that she wishes to resolve Sywilok’s proceedings against her “without the need for further inquiry or litigation, and without her making any further admissions.”

Teresa’s attorney Jim Kridel stated back in September that Teresa was now making enough money to pay off her debts, while also adding that most of the debt in the bankruptcy belonged to Joe. Safe to say the system won this go around.

In other RHONJ news, Tre’s sister-in-law Melissa Gorga recently revealed she is now selling T-shirts with some of her catch phrases written on them such as “Thank you Jesus” and “On Display.”

“We are selling a lot of “Thank you Jesus!” shirts of my website this week! Guess its for Christmas gifts! Send pics! Xo, ﻿﻿melissagorga.co” tweeted Melissa last week. Pictures of those T-shirts are below!

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON TERESA WITHDRAWING HER BANKRUPTCY BID? WOULD YOU BUY ONE OF MELISSA’S T-SHIRTS?

Ai ya ya. A Canadian firm has now filed a lawsuit against severalReal Housewives of New Jersey cast members, accusing them of stealing the concept used for their bottled-water product, BLACKWATER, in addition to misappropriation of the trademark and breach of contract.

The suit, filed by Canadian design and marketing company Creative Thinkers, Inc, alleges the Wilkies entered into an agreement with Creative Thinkers to bottle BLACKWATER(TM), a specialty health water infused with a proprietary blend of fulvic and humic acid. However, instead of working with Ivan Solomon (the owner of Creative Thinkers), his partner Gordon Jung, and their corporation, Blackwater Innovations Corp., the Wilkies allegedly stole the idea and trademark and marketed the product with the Manzo-Laurita family.

“One of the core premises of trademark law is the right and ability to protect one’s name against imitations and customer confusion,” saidBobby A. Ghajar, one of the attorneys representing Creative Thinkers. “This case goes to the heart of trademark law.”

In July 2011, Blackwater Innovations Corp. sent a cease and desist letter to BLK after the Wilkies claimed they developed the idea for the product after they witnessed the water heal their sick mother. However, the suit alleges the defendants received confidential information about the Blackwater specialty product in a November 2009 agreement, and agreed to keep information about the health water confidential.

The court documents allege the Manzo-Laurita family inappropriately used their reality TV fame to sell a false story about how the idea for the blackwater drink originated. Creative Thinkers insists that the family stole the idea after attending a food industry trade show. At the trade show, the Manzo-Laurita family allegedly saw the BLACKWATER(TM) product and conspired with the Wilkies to steal the product, marketing and distribution plan.

“We are confident that the evidence will prove that the Manzo-Laurita family and the Wilkies stole the BLACKWATER(TM) specialty concept,” said Mark D. Litvack, one of the attorneys on the case. “The Manzo-Laurita family has wrongfully used its fame to steal another’s idea, and this suit seeks to restore ownership of BLACKWATER(TM) to its true originator.”

Creative Thinkers, Inc. is now seeking to “have its stolen property returned, to recover the monies and good will wrongfully taken from it, and to prevent the defendants from wrongfully profiting from their theft, deception and infringement.”

Blackwater Innovations Corp., Solomon, and Jung have also filed a countersuit responding to claims by BLK that they had infringed the company’s trademark rights. BLK had originally filed their lawsuit as a response to the July 2011 cease and desist letter they received.

It seems that Sherri and her husband were attending a party in New Jersey and who should show up but Melissa, hauling with her a buncha drama. Le sigh. And if you are wondering what kind of people get into an argument at a Christmas party, look no further than the hot-tempered ladies of RHONJ!

Sherri, rightfully annoyed that a peaceful evening was ruined by squabbling twelve-year-olds women, took to Twitter to complain about the nonsense. “Why am I at a party in Jersey with Sal & one of the New Jersey Housewives gets into an altercation w someone! This is surreal & a #hotmess,” Sherri admonished, via Twitter. Sherri initially believed Teresa was the hot mess in question, but Teresa immediately set her straight, Tweeting: “And no I was NOT at the Jersey party w/ @SherriEShepherd yest. I was in NYC w/my kids. She’s got her hot mess NJHousewives mixed up! xx”

After realizing her error Sherri, tweeted her sorries. “Apology to @Teresa_Giudice … thought you were at the party. I swear you got a doppleganger [sic]! Just as well – the drama didn’t involve you!” Teresa sort of does have a doppelganger (assuming she knows what that is): her sister in law Melissa — who as it turns out was the hot mess in question! Oh dear.

It seems Melissa attended the get together with Kathy Wakile and some bickering occurred in the bathroom — wait didn’t this already happen at the Posche Fashion Show? Melissa instantly went on the defense over Sherri’s “hot mess” accusation and replied, “”No honey! Someone tried 2 pull a publicity stunt last night 2try & cause drama, I was upset they did that!” Melissa claims she was jut an innocent bystander victimized by fame seeking harlots. uh huh. Again, haven’t we heard this story before (ahem… Posche Fashion Show)?

Speaking to the Huffington Post, Melissa explains her side of the story and insists it was all nonsense stirred up by a random party guest looking for a spot on RHONJ. “Someone tried to cause a fake fight to get attention because they are trying to be on the new ‘Housewives.’ ”

“Someone pretended that they overheard me and Kathy talking about a girl in the bathroom that is trying to get on the next season,” Melissa recounts. “I knew it was B.S. because we didn’t talk about anyone in the bathroom. So I called them out on it right away.”

“The girl admitted it the next day,” Melissa added. “It was so stupid they were just trying to get attention.” Richie Wakilesummed up the incident as, “Fake ass people out there! & you know who you are bitches!”

No word on who the “girl” is, but I’m guessing there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye — particularly with all the rumors swirling about Melissa as of late!

If you’re wondering if Melissa is tired of living “On Display” the answer is of course not! A fan tweeted her asking just that and she replied: “It comes with territory what I don’t like is the lying, everyone has an opinion I can’t get mad at that! Xo” Will the insanity never cease?

In other RHONJ news, Jacqueline Laurita is up to her Twitter antics again and this time she is admitting something we all suspected! Apparently her friendship with Melissa is not exactly what it’s portrayed to be! After giving Melissa a shout-out for producing payroll sheets to prove she was never a dancer, a fan asked Jacs about the nature of her relationship with her ex-bestfriend’s sister-in-law. Jacqueline Tweetplied: “Got friendly w/Mel bc I respect her as Ts fam.I like her.Shes always been nice2me.We dont talk&hangout like bffs.C her here&there”

My interpretation: Jacqueline got angry at Teresa and started buddy-ing up with Melissa to make Teresa angry.

[Photo Credits: WENN.com, Dave Kotinsky]

DO YOU BELIEVE MELISSA’S ACCOUNT OF WHAT HAPPENED OR IS THERE MORE TO THE STORY? WAS SHERRI RIGHT TO CALL THESE DRAMA QUEENS OUT? ARE YOU SURPRISED JACQUELINE AND MELISSA AREN’T REALLY CLOSE FRIENDS?

If you take the time to blink by the time you open your eyes there will be some rehashed new Real Housewives of New Jersey drama. In the latest Melissa Gorga‘s crusade to prove she was not, under any circumstances, in any way possible a stripper, exotic dancer, go-go dancer, adult entertaintress — whatever. Nope not for one hot moment! Girl, give it up already — we don’t care!

If you remember the blog AllAboutTRH interviewed Angelo Vrohidis who was the manager of Lookers where Melissa worked possibly as a bartender (according to her) and possibly as a dancer (according to him). Melissa was so enraged by this accusation she accused him of being a drug addict on Twitter and then threatened to sue any media outlets who claimed she had danced. Even going so far as to have her ex-manager speak out saying she was a bartender and having the owner of Lookers, Chris Kontos, sign a sworn affidavit corroborating those claims. She also promised she would get payroll sheets proving she was merely a bartender.

Well, they’re heeeere! See, in his interview Angelo explained the payroll system claiming strippers were paid as independent contractors and other employees were on the bar’s payroll. “You have to understand, bartenders got paid by checks. Dancers were independent contractors that did not get paid by the establishment,” Angelo described. “Its different now but she worked a long time ago and that’s how it was back then. When Melissa worked, we didn’t pay the dancers and they didn’t pay us.”

And now Melissa AllAboutTRH has produced paystubs that verify she worked 7-hours per week for about one year (literally Jan 2003 – Dec 2003) as a part-time bartender. While, this does verify that Melissa bartended, some of her story doesn’t add up. Melissa claimed she worked at the club as a bartender for a few months and her manager, Larry Guarino, was quoted as saying: “She was a bartender for a couple of months years ago, it was such a short time. She was never ever a dancer.” Angelo also said she worked at the club for less than a year.

The payroll sheet clearly shows she was employed at least a full year. Some commenters wondered if the paystubs could be made up to substantiate Merlissa’s claims. And some fans wondered if Melissa could have been both dancing and bartending? While it really doesn’t matter and it was years ago, the stories still don’t add up for Melissa.

Moving on, things are apparently getting better between Dina Manzo and Caroline Manzoas the two sisters are planning to spend Christmas together! Wetpaint Entertainment spoke to the Manzo spawn: Albie, Chris and Lauren (I’m sure Greggy was lurking around somewhere too) who revealed Dina would be part of the family Christmas festivities. “Christmas Eve is bigger for us than Christmas Day,” Lauren explained. “My mom is one of 11 kids. We have everyone over and we have a five-course meal and tons of presents. The whole great room is filled with presents.

“She’s part of the family. At the end of the day, we’re family and we love each other, no matter what happens on the show,” Lauren added. While they were excited to talk Christmas, the Manzo siblings were less enthused about the upcoming fourth season of RHONJ.

“It’s funny, but Season 4 is going to go a little bit backwards,” Albie revealed. “They showed some of the footage in Season 3 – the part where the cookbook comes out. But Season 4 had already been shooting and starts even before that.”

“The cookbook isn’t what started all the problems, it actually came in the middle of all the trouble,” Albie continued. “So in Season 4, you’ll see all the events that led to it.” And speaking of the climactic Posche Fashion Show, Lauren describes it as a “disaster,” confirming that everyone is mad at Teresa Giudice!

While Dina may still be working on her relationship with her sister, she’s getting along swimmingly with Teresa as the two friends had a girls night out in NYC! Dina posted on Twitter that she had a “no drama” dinner with Teresa and another friend this Friday night and included a picture. A copy of the photo is below.

Teresa talked the dinner on her personal website and explained the third friend, Jackie, was Dina’s Maid of Honor. “She’s actually the one who first introduced me and Dina,” Teresa wrote. I bet Caroline loves that Jackie!

“It’s soooooo nice to be able to hang out with my girlfriends again without cameras around for a change,” Teresa continued. “We’ve promised to do it at least once a month… ” While it’s great that she wants to pursue friendships away from cameras is she going to post about it every month on her website because to me that’s pretty much the same as having cameras there!

Unfortunately for Dina she took a lot of heat on Twitter from some fans that accused her of being disloyal to her sister by continuing a friendship with Teresa. Dina responded, Tweeting: “To a few of u who just won’t give it up, just because I had dinner with a friend doesn’t mean I hate my sister. Get over it, it’s a TV SHOW!” Good point! She also pointed out to fans that Teresa was the one who reached out to her to rekindle their friendship, adding: “It works both ways doll.” Twitter… ruining the lives of C-List celebrities everywhere!

[Photo Credits: WENN.com]

DO MELISSA’S PAYSTUBS PROVE SHE WASN’T A STRIPPER OR IS THERE MORE TO THE STORY? SHOULD DINA CONTINUE HER FRIENDSHIP WITH TERESA DESPITE THE FEUD?

Retaliating against Angelo Vrohidis’interview alleging that Melissa was a stripper at Lookers nightclub in Elizabeth, NJ; Melissa claims she can “prove” she was nothing of the sort by producing payroll sheets which list her as a “bar maid.” TMZ is reporting that Melissa’s lawyer obtained a “sworn affidavit” from club owner Chris Kontos that states Melissa “worked solely in the capacity as a bartender.” A copy of that affidavit is below.

The affidavit denies that Angelo ever managed Melissa, then Melissa Marco (her maiden name), during her part-time employment at Lookers and that her actual manager was named Larry Guarino, who previously stated: “She was a bartender for a couple of months years ago, it was such a short time. She was never ever a dancer.”

Melissa’s lawyer, James Leonard Jr, is warning the media and any would-be claimants that if they continue to besmirch Melissa’s reputation they will be sued! “At this time we are aggressively pursuing the commencement of litigation against any and all individuals, in any jurisdiction, who have or continue to disseminate false statements against Melissa Gorga.”

Apparently her quest for fame and the constant accusations about her past has taken its toll on Melissa’s marriage to Joe Gorga as she recently confessed to HollywoodLife, that it’s been stressful.

“This year, to be honest with you, I feel like there is a lot of stress from the show and being in the public eye,” Melissa revealed, while attending the Reeve Foundation Magical Evening Gala at NYC’s Cipriani Wall Street. ”All I want from my husband is to just… I just want to make sure we keep this bond that him and I have.”

“I don’t want to let anything or any person break it,” she added. “That to me is the most important thing because we had an amazing life before we entered this show. And we still do and I don’t want to let anything break it. I know this business can break you sometimes.” Perhaps she now understands how sister-in-law, Teresa Giudice feels…

Here’s my opinion: Melissa has a right to not want her past exposed, whether she is embarrassed that she worked in a strip club (in any capacity) or not or just doesn’t want people digging into her past, but she went on a national television show to expose her “real life” so she has to expect curiosity from the public beyond just what she wants us to see.

We know Melissa wants the world to view her as the happy and privileged wife of a prominent real estate developer, a loving mother, backstabbing sister-in-law and a hopeful singer — and we do see her that way, but like all of us Melissa has a past. Perhaps it’s a salacious past that she is ashamed of, perhaps not.

But here’s the thing, Melissa has no problem exposing, commenting on and discussing Teresa’s embarrassing moments, negative behaviors, family discord as well as financial issues to the media and the world. So is it really fair of her to demand that no one discuss her own situations? She didn’t mind when everyone was accusing Teresa of all sorts of misdeeds, but now she’s suing anyone who says something about her she doesn’t want to hear and getting into Twitter fights with people who don’t like her song? #JayMohr.

Melissa should let stripper-gate go. Drawing more and more attention to it pretty much guarantees that the media, the networks, the blogosphere are going to keep speculating about it. Melissa has a lot going for her and seems to have a pretty lovely life. She should focus on the positives. We know Melissa reads RT (she Tweeted that she loves it) so a little advice from me: the truth will come out whatever it is, so go practice singing and accept that you’re “On Display!”

THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST? DO YOU BELIEVE MELISSA WAS A STRIPPER OR JUST DESPERATE TO PROVE THAT IT’S ALL A LIE? THOUGHTS ON MELISSA’S COMMENTS ABOUT HER MARRIAGE?

Teresa, Teresa, oh, Teresa. I feel slighted, as if I was in the presence of greatness knowing that the Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Skinny Italian was mere ninety minutes away from me, answering questions openly and honestly (ahem) in my tiny home state’s capitol. Maybe she will, as she recently opened up about her husband’s dinner date at TGIFriday’s!

Going on The Wendy Williams Show recently, Teresa isn’t just defending herself, but also her marriage and finances. When questioned about whether she was the only housewife in financial strife, Teresa took the high road refusing to speculate about the business of her cast mates (and former friends). Of Juicy Joe Guidice’s and her situation, she explains, “Joe and I are both hard workers. We just withdrew from bankruptcy.”

Wendy Williams then asked about those dreaded rumors of infidelity, sparked by pictures of Juicy dining with another woman at TGIFriday’s. That Joe is one big spender, eh? Teresa assures Wendy, “That was a friend of ours.” She continues, telling a story about dining recently with a hot male companion who is friends with the couple. Teresa was thankful she wasn’t photographed with him to start the gossip mill swirling. “It’s not fair that just because you are out with a friend, you are cheating on your spouse,” she tells Wendy. Teresa loves her Juicy Joe.

You know who else she loves? Donald Trump, the man that is helping her expand her brand on Celebrity Apprentice. You know who she may not love as much? Her rumored co-star and competitor on the upcoming season, Victoria Gotti. Not to be outdone by Teresa, Victoria showed up on The Wendy Williams Show hinting about a brewing feud between Mrs. Guidice and herself. While never out-right confirming her spot on the reality competition, Gotti teases, “I recently worked with someone on a project, and that person is a fellow Italian woman …” Follow-up questions from Wendy made it pretty clear that fellow lady was Teresa.

A shocked Wendy admits, “In my mind you guys would be friends,” to which Gotti replies, “In my mind we were too. But then there comes a scene… when my mind gets completely blown… So you’re going to see this on TV, it’s a quite a blow-up… I thought it was gonna get a little physical there. Nene and Starr, I mean, that was like nothin’.'” I honestly can’t say I’m surprised to hear that. I’d kind of like to see Teresa and Nene go head to head!

While Victoria Gotti may not be hanging out with Teresa anytime soon, the same may be said for Melissa Gorga. The upcoming holidays always bring together fun, family and lots of stress, and Melissa and husbandJoe Gorga may be choosing less stress over more family time. In a recent interview, Melissa admits that Christmas plans have yet to be made. She says, “It’s yet to be determined. Sometimes when something stresses you out and when you have to think to hard about something, sometimes it’s better to stay away for a little while.”

While Melissa would love for the cousins to enjoy the holidays together, it seems that Teresa may be the roadblock. Melissa reveals, “If it were up to me, we would be together every single Christmas Eve. Our children would be opening presents together. We’d be sharing every single Christmas together.”

Joe Gorga agrees. When it comes to his sister Teresa, he knows she can bring unwanted drama. Joe concurs, “There’s certain things you just can’t forgive and forget. It’s a holiday. You want to enjoy it. You want to be happy. You don’t want to be aggravated. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I want to be happy.”

Melissa, however, remains hopeful. “I just really hope that we can all work this out. We all have such amazing opportunities here. We’re all great people.” She continues, “Everyone’s talented. Everyone has amazing families. We all just need to let it go and work it out. It’s the holidays and that’s it. I don’t want to say anything else. We really need to work it out.”

And finally, last night, Teresa spoke at a library benefit (of all things!) in Columbia, South Carolina. In an interview prior to her appearance, Teresa was asked about her reality star status. Teresa reveals, “I’m really humble and really down to earth. I don’t walk around saying that. I’m still true to who I am.” Cough, cough. She continues, “I’m still the same person. The way they portray you on TV, that’s not who you really are. I’m really, real, and I think my true friends know who I really am. They’re just really protective of me.”

However, Teresa admits she has a feisty side (table flipping, anyone?), but she explains, “I stand up for myself if I believe in something. If I have to state my case, I have to state it. If I’m wrong, then I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Is that how it works? Even when discussing Bravo’s Andy Cohen and his not so gentle ribbing of she and her husband, Teresa laughs, exclaiming, “[T]hat’s his job. And I love Andy. I’m a big girl and I can defend myself.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF TERESA’S INTERVIEW? ARE YOU SHOCKED THAT SHE AND VICTORIA GOTTI WILL SPAR ON THE UPCOMING SEASON OF CELEBRITY APPRENTICE? SHOULD THE GORGAS AND THE GUIDICES CALL A TRUCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS?